Lappula

Lappula

(stickseed), a genus of plants of the family Boraginaceae. They are annual and, less frequently, biennial and perennial grasses. The leaves are entire, linear-lanceolate, and rough-pubescent; the stem is also covered with rough hairs. The flowers, which are small, five-parted, and usually blue, are in long branched bostryces. The fruit consists of four nutlets that are covered with spines. The spines catch onto the fur of animals and clothing (hence the name stickseed).

There are approximately 50 species, distributed in the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere, in Australia, in southern Africa, and in South America. More than 40 species are found in the USSR, growing primarily in the arid regions of Middle Asia and the Caucasus. The stickseed Lappula myosotis (or L. echinata), which is also known as burweed, blue bur, and sheep bur, is a cosmopolitan grass; the species L. patula grows in southern regions. Plants of the genus Lappula grow in weedy areas, wastelands, and deserts, as well as along roads. They often grow as weeds in fields and gardens.

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